The Heart of Konoha
by Tirsis
Summary: Based off of MrWriterWriter's "What's in the Scroll" Challenge. Naruto steals the Forbidden Scroll, but passes up on the Shadow Clones and instead finds a crystal pendent with a power and a history that will change him forever.


Based off of MrWriterWriter's "What's in the Scroll" Challenge. I do not own the rights to any characters or situations herein, but I do own a computer, an internet connection and a slight dementia. Care to join me where the colors spin?

O=O=O=O=O

She was an old woman now, older then she had any right to be. But here she was, sustained by magic, at the end of it all.

Or was it just the beginning?

The Veil was gone now as the border between worlds solidified into something even greater that no creature could ever pass. It had taken the power of three realms, but now the devastation of Earth would not spread. And even on Earth there was still hope. It would take thousands of years to rebuild, but humanity would live on.

They would forget the old world, yes, but as a race they would eventually recover from the ravages of the creatures that had almost wiped everything out.

But now was not the time to dwell on the past.

The woman finished the inscriptions on the small box before her. Long ago she had claimed that she didn't know magic, that she only wielded magic powers. But years of study with her four friends had led to greater understanding, and now she used that understanding to set a test, and a trap.

She slowly took a pendent from around her neck and looked lovingly at it. A glowing pink orb rested in a silver frame. Over the years she had used its power and also added to it. An absorbed artifact here, an enchantment there, it had all grown. Now the accumulated magic of three worlds rested in it.

Once it was the Heart of Candracar, now it was so much more.

She laid the powerful mystic node into the box and closed the lid softly.

It was time to join her friends and watch as the world was reborn.

Will Vandom became one with the magic and vanished from history.

The Heart of Konoha

By Tirsis

Chapter 1

Fall and Rise

"I am so bad-ass," Naruto Uzumaki chuckled to himself as he leaned his recently purloined 'Scroll of Forbidden Jutsu' against a nearby tree. Sure he had taken advantage of the old Hokage's open door policy in regards to him, and had used his infamous 'Sexy no Jutsu' to distract (i.e. knock out with a nose-bleed) his village's powerful leader. But wasn't cheating to win one of the hallmarks of ninja life?

The Third Hokage may have been the 'Professor;' and 'God of Shinobi' but he was still male and a blond, curvy, and nude bombshell suddenly appearing out of nowhere would have gotten, and in fact had gotten, the better of many before him.

The fact that the twelve year old blond haired, blue eyed, whiskered, and orange clad boy could transform in an instant into an eighteen year old porn star was just one of the many quirks of Naruto.

Now he had a few hours until his ninja instructor, the chunin Mizuki, came to look for him. Naruto chuckled at that, he had been given five hours to plan and execute his Academy Graduation Make-Up Test and he had gone and finished it in fifty four minutes.

"Four hours, six minutes of Happy Fun Jutsu Scroll Time," Naruto laughed and dropped to the ground cross-legged. He pulled the scroll onto his lap and opened it slowly, almost reverently, eagerly awaiting techniques so powerful as to be considered forbidden. This was just what he needed in his quest to become Hokage and be recognized by everyone.

He gazed with wide eyes at the first jutsu and swore loudly.

"Ah, crap! Shadow Clones? Why does it always have to be Clones? I suck at this technique! There has to be something better than this." He pulled more of the scroll open and looked at the following jutus with equal disdain. "Shadow Shuriken Clones. Exploding Clones…hmmm, maybe. Crap, no. It needs Shadow Clones to work. Double crap. Isn't there anything useful in this thing?"

He dropped the scroll and let it roll along the ground, his eyes low in disappointment.

Those eyes turned to wonder when he saw a storage seal with an inscription of five dragons around it. He slowly read the text next to the seal.

"Reliquary of the Guardians, sealed into the Forbidden Scroll by the First Hokage. Artifact of the First World. Inscribed in an ancient dialect that translates to 'Only one who stands in the path of True Evil with a Pure Heart may open'. Chakra readings of the artifact are beyond comprehension."

The young blond's eyes regained their sparkle.

"Now this is what I'm talking about. Something of great power just waiting for someone like me. I mean I've faced Iruka-sensei's Big Head Jutsu, and that's as evil as they come," Naruto said to himself. His mind briefly flashed to the looks of hate that the villagers constantly fixed him with, but let it go. He knew that someday those looks would change. When he became Hokage they would respect him because he would give them leadership, guidance, and protection.

Maybe this sealed artifact would be the first step.

Bringing his hands together, molding Physical and Spiritual Energy together to form Chakra, the blond gathered as much energy as he could, then touched his hand to the seal.

"Release!"

There was a bright flash of light and a puff of smoke, and then sitting before Naruto was a simple wooden box with beautiful scrollwork and inscriptions carved into it. The representation of an element adorned each side and the top. A gusting cloud, a buring flame, a flowing river, a growing tree, and on the top a carved orb with bolts of lightning shooting to each of the sides.

Naruto almost couldn't breathe as he took in the small box. He could feel the power flowing out of the box, and a heavy sense of…he wasn't sure, but he could almost call it sacred or holy in some way.

Cautiously he reached his hands out to open the lid, but when his fingers came into contact with the wood he felt a jolt run through him. For a moment he thought someone was watching him, looking into his very soul, but the feeling passed and the lid opened easily.

Inside the box sat a simple amulet. A faintly glowing pink sphere wrapped in a silver lattice with a point on the bottom and a light chain at the top. Naruto was mesmerized by it, not breathing at all now, and reached his hand out to pick the pendent up.

_**NO!**_ A voice screamed in his head, _**DON'T TOUCH THAT! IT WILL KILL ME!**_

But it was too late, and the young ninja's fingers grazed the surface of the crystal.

Instantly darkness claimed him.

O = O = O =O = O

Naruto awoke feeling damp, and rightfully so as he found that he was flat on his back in three inches of water. Sitting upright he looked around his new environment and was not impressed.

He found himself in a sewer, dimly lit and in disrepair.

Climbing to his feet he called out, "Hello? Anyone there?"

He was answered with a feral roar of pain, scarring him to the bone. He almost bolted, but felt compelled by forced he didn't understand to go towards it. As he came to a junction, the roars still ringing in his ears, he saw powerful lights coming from the side passage.

He saw five women, each pouring power into a cage of some kind. A massive barred gate held closed by a small paper seal was being flooded with energy, and beyond it something trembled in pain and fear.

Suddenly the power stopped, and as one the five women turned to look at him. Each was beautiful and held a stance of confidence that left his jaw hanging.

It was the one in the middle, a short haired redhead with a wide smile that spoke, "So, you're the one to find the Heart. I never thought it would be the jailor of one of the creatures that almost destroyed Earth back in our time. Let alone a boy. Things must be changing out there. Well, don't just stand there with your jaw on the floor. Come over here and say hi."

Numbly, Naruto stumbled over. The odd clothes the woman wore, the strange hair, and the fact that they were all smiling comfortingly at him disturbed him. Only the Hokage and the Ichiraku family that ran his favorite ramen stand had ever looked at him in that way.

Warily he asked, "Who are you people? Where are we? What are you doing to…whatever is over there?"

"Little Q and A, huh kid," the short haired brunette smirked. She raised her hand to be level with the top of his head and laughed, "Very little. Don't they feed you, Runt."

"HEY!"

"Irma, lay off," the redhead ordered quietly. She continued, "We are called the Guardians of the Veil, Naruto. Although that title isn't really accurate anymore. As for where we are…we're inside your mind."

Naruto blinked, and blinked again.

"My mind is a sewer," he deadpanned.

"Not your fault," the dark skinned woman said, pushing up her glasses with two fingers. "It's because of that monster held back by the seal over there." She pointed one slender hand at the cage to see what she was talking about.

A vulpine creature, snarling in rage and pain, with…

1...2…3…4…5…6…7…8….9…

Nine tails…

"Kyubi no Kitsune," he gasped softly, all the horror stories from the Academy flooding back to him. Then it came together. "The Kyubi is in my mind…oh god no…that's why they hate me…I'm the one…killed all those people…"

He was suddenly enveloped in a warm hug, his thoughts derailed by its compassion and caring. A soft voice whispered in his ear.

"You are not the fox. You are Naruto Uzumaki. You're a strong young man that has kept this thing locked away for your whole life. You have stood in the path of True Evil and still have the capacity to forgive, and to care for others. That's why you could open my box, because you were a worthy person." The redhead forced Naruto to look up into her eyes, "I'd like to offer you a choice. You can end your curse, and the fox. Take up my crystal, the Heart of Candracar. You'll know what to do."

She took the amulet on its silver chain from around her neck and offered it to him. Naruto hesitated, but slowly wrapped his hand around it, accepting her offer. He felt warmth through his body as knowledge slowly entered his mind. It was only a small taste, he knew, of more hidden away until he was ready for it. But for now it was more than enough.

The redhead helped him to his feet, and standing tall he marched up to the fox's cage.

"Time to finish what the Fourth Hokage started, you basterd," Naruto said with authority. "GUARDIANS UNITE!"

_**I WIILL NOT ALOW IT!**_ The Kyubi roared, _**YOU CAN NOT DESTROY ME YOU IMPOTENT LITTLE MONKEY!**_

"Tough shit," Naruto answered as the crystal glowed brightly and the five women took up position with him, aiming their powers back into the cage.

Suddenly the demonic fox lashed out with its power, a foreleg shooting out between the bars of its prison to strike at the young blond. It tore into Naruto, but the power of the Heart pushed it back after only a moment.

Even as Naruto howled in pain energy shot out from the crystal, as well as the five women with him. The blast was massive, and as Naruto focused past the white faze of energy he saw that the fox was indeed dyeing, but wore a vicious smile.

_**I MAY DIE, BUT THE NAMIKAZE LINE DIES WITH ME! YOU ARE NOW AND FOREVER THE LAST OF YOUR LINE! I CURSE YOU FOREVER!**_

Behind Naruto the leader of the Guardians grunted out, "Stop monologing and go back to Hell, you overgrown plushy!"

The demon fox gave one last roar, and with a blaze of white light everything vanished.

Naruto opened his eyes and found the sewer long gone. Instead he stood on a grassy hill overlooking a castle made of pure crystal. He felt calm, serine even, for the first time in a long time.

"Big difference, huh Naruto?"

The young ninja turned and saw the Guardians standing there, but now they appeared as old women. Still posessing timeless beauty, but also showing wise, older eyes. Their odd clothing was replaced with robes of pure white and in their hands were staffs of colored crystal. The one in the center with a pink staff stepped forward and knelt to be level with Naruto's eyes.

"The fox did try and kill you just now," she said softly, "but the Heart intervened. You may not like what happened, but remember you are still alive."

Naruto's mouth was suddenly dry, "What did it do?"

The former redhead waved her hand and conjured a mirror before Naruto. Slowly he stepped forward and looked into its silvery surface.

What looked back at him was not his reflection, but the image of a young blond girl in his clothing. She looked to be his age, with his blue eyes, and blond hair done into two short ponytails. In all it looked like a twelve year old version of his Sexy no Jutsu, but thankfully fully clothed.

"How," she croaked out.

The leader of the Guardians answered, "The demon tried to take away your life, but it failed. So he tried to take your ability to reproduce, never allowing you to have children. I'm sad to say he may have succeeded. The Heart tried to heal the damage, but the best it could do was draw on the energy of those who have wielded it before. Unfortunately all those who have held the Heart before were female. Do you understand?"

"It didn't know how to put me back together as a guy," Naruto guessed. The Guardian nodded, and watched as Naruto spun through a gambit of emotion. Finally the young ninja looked down and sighed deeply, then squared her shoulders and looked back up again. "It doesn't matter," Naruto said strongly, "I can beat this and still become Hokage one day."

The Guardians saw Naruto's determination, but they also saw that she had buried the pain, the frustration and the sadness. A war waged between the fire of confidence and the storm of self doubt, but the young blond would not let herself fall into that sadness. She would not let herself fail.

"You will have help," the former redhead said softly. "The Guardians represent the five elements. Water, fire, earth air, and lightning or quintessence. Each guardian can control one of these elements absolutely."

"You mean like chakra control?"

"No. Your chakra is a power that is derived from your very existence, the magic you can wield now is powered from other forces. Forces that only you can touch. You have the magic of lightning." She nodded to the other guardians behind her.

The glasses wearing, dark skinned, wise looking woman stepped forward, "Look for Fire in the eyes, and remember that smart does not always mean wise.

Next spoke the short brown and grey haired woman with the smirk, "Water flows from the cloistered dove. She can be great; all she needs is a shove." The others looked at her for a moment and she shrugged, "What? I thought we were doing that mystic rhyming vagary mumbo jumbo."

The women chuckled as Naruto blinked, and the long pale blond haired woman who held herself with grace continued, "I don't do rhymes. Earth will have confidence beyond reason, and will always smell of roses."

"Last but never least," said the woman with two long salt and pepper ponytails who even in old age seemed to radiate energy, "Air will be able to put up with anything, and usually recover a smile quickly. Watch for two dragons of steel."

The women stepped back and their leader knelt down to eye level with Naruto, "You're the new Guardians of Eternity. You have our power, our legacy, and most importantly, out faith. We will see you again. Enjoy the wings."

The blond started fading out but managed, "Wait, what wings? I have more questions. I don't…"

And she was gone.

A figure slowly came out of nothingness and smiled at the spot where the young ninja had stood.

"You can come with us, you know," Will said to the tall blond man in the flame edged white coat. "There can be a place in Candracar for you."

The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namekaze, laughed, "No. I think I'll stick around. My son…er…daughter may need me someday. Besides, all I am is a construct within the seal. For now I'll stay and make sure the chakra you purified by destroying the Kyubi blends properly with her chakra system." He laughed again, "With the magic and all of the pure chakra Naruto has now…she will be a force of nature back in Konoha. Perhaps she can change the world after all."

"That's what Guardians do," Will smiled.

O = O = O =O = O

"Naruto. Naruto, wake up."

The blond slowly regained awareness and found her Academy instructor, Umino Iruka, crouched next to her. The look of worry on her teacher almost brought a smile to her face, but then she remembered that she was a she, and all that had transpired to make her one.

She bolted upright, hands patting down her front all the way down to between her legs, Naruto let out a small squeak at her discovery.

Iruka noted her dilemma and asked, "What happened? Did that silly jutsu of yours backfire?"

"No, Sensei, "the young ninja responded, and then started at her own voice. "Oh man…It really did happen."

"What? What happened? Did this have something to do with you stealing the Forbidden Scroll?"

Naruto shook her head violently, "No! It was the crystal. It was in the scroll, but it wasn't the scroll itself."

The young teacher saw that Naruto was rambling and on the verge of panic. He placed a calming hand on Naruto's shoulder and started quietly, "All right, start at the beginning. Why did you take the Forbidden Scroll in the first place?"

Naruto took a deep breath, "I was taking the makeup exam. When I got out here I started going…"

Iruka interrupted, "What makeup exam?"

Before Naruto could answer a voice interrupted from the branches above, "I see you found the little idiot first, Iruka. That's almost too bad. Quickly Naruto, toss me the Scroll!"

A look of understanding crossed the teacher's face, "Is that what all this is about Mizuki?" He turned to Naruto and ordered, "No matter what happens do NOT give up that scroll. Even if it costs you your life."

The neo-girl's eyes widened at that, but she grabbed on tightly to the large scroll, "What is going on here?"

"Naruto," Mizuki called out, an evil grin on his face, "Give me the Scroll and I'll tell you a secret."

"What secret?"

"The one you've always wanted to know. The reason all the villagers hate you. The reason even Iruka hates you."

Naruto didn't respond, but Iruka cried out, "No Mizuki, you know the law! We are forbidden from talking about that!"

But Mizuki laughed and continued, "YOU ARE THE KYUBI NO KITSUNE REBORN!"

There was a heavy silence after that, both chunin expecting a bad reaction from their student, one with sadness and the other with glee. They were not expecting Naruto to answer as if this was a class.

"Um…actually that's not true. It was sealed in me. And it's not there anymore; we killed it before you two showed up."

Iruka was shocked, but before he could ask what his student meant Mizuki took advantage of the distraction. The silver haired chunin saw that Naruto was not about to give up the Forbidden Scroll and threw a large fuma shuriken at him, intending to end the demon-boy's life.

He had not yet seen that Naruto had unexpectedly changed gender.

Nor did he anticipate Iruka throwing himself in front of the attack, taking the shuriken strike in the back of his armored vest.

Naruto looked up at Iruka who was doubled over in front of her, a look of pain etched across his face from the large metal weapon sticking out his back. Her eyes widened in horror as the teacher coughed, letting a small bit of blood out as he did.

"Run," Iruka gasped, "get out of here. I'll buy you some time."

Naruto could only nod. She quickly shook herself out of her inaction and bolted for the tree line, tying the scroll across her back as she did. Her only intent was to get away. Any though of graduating, of becoming Hokage, or even the dead Kyubi fled her mind as she fled the clearing.

After a few minutes however she slowed down and began cursing herself. This was wrong. Iruka was perhaps the only teacher at the Ninja Academy that had ever really tried to teach her anything. He had given her food, showed her compassion, and had even taken a lethal blow for her.

And she had left him injured to fight against another ninja who was unharmed and fresh. It went against everything Iruka had taught her, that the strength of Konoha was not its individual ninja, but its strong teamwork.

She thought of the Ichiraku's working together in their small kitchen to create their delicious ramen. She remembered the Hokage speaking to her class about the 'Will of Fire', the power to carry on in the face of adversity for the sake of those around you. She looked back into the woods and realized that Umino Iruka was more than a teacher, he was a brother.

"Never," Naruto whispered to herself. "Never again will I abandon a brother in need." She reversed her direction and charged back towards the confrontation, knowing that this new idea was now firmly a part of her ninja way, her Nindo.

She chanted it to herself as she ran, "I will never give up. I will never abandon a comrade. I will protect the innocent." She then quietly added, "I will never betray the faith of the Guardians."

She heard a clash up ahead, and voices, and slowed down so that she could approach undetected. What she heard made her stop short however. Iruka was on the ground, obviously injured further, and Mizuki stood over him, a kunai in hand and ready to strike.

Iruka spoke softly, "You're right, Mizuki. I do hate the Fox for killing my parents." Naruto sucked in air at this admission, tears welling in her eyes, but Iruka continued, "But Naruto is not the Fox. She is the number one knucklehead ninja of Konoha, and my most precious student."

Naruto felt warm, as warm as when Will had hugged her inside her mindscape. But that warmth turned to cold dread as she saw Mizuki ready himself to kill the downed Iruka.

"No," whispered Naruto as power welled up within her.

Mizuki stopped as the clearing was flooded with a pink light and a wave of power. He looked back as saw a form step forward out of the light as it faded away.

She was tall and curvy with blond hair done up in two long ponytails. She wore a pink crop top with long billowing sleeves and a short blue-green skirt that showed of a toned stomach. Stockings of alternating blue and green rings went down into heavy boots. She also had a pair of small, delicate looking wings coming out her back.

But it was the blue eyes that seemed to spark in the night that drew attention the most. They were eyes flooded with righteous anger.

"You will not touch him," the woman growled out. "And if you try, I Will Kill You!"

"I don't know who you are, woman, but you can't stop me," Mizuki answered and threw his kunai at her, intent and ending her life with one hit. But before it got halfway to the woman she raised one hand and a bolt of white lightning arced between her fingertips and the steel weapon, knocking it away with a snap and a crack of thunder.

Mizuki was looking right at the woman when he attacked, so he found himself flash blinded by the lightning. Before his vision could clear he felt himself grabbed and picked up.

And he kept being raised up.

When his eyes cleared he looked to see the blond woman holding him at arms length, her wings a blur. He looked down and saw that he was a good two hundred feet off the ground.

He went to attack, knowing that if he did it right he would survive the fall, but before he could strike she simply let go.

He started righting himself almost immediately, but he felt a tingle at the back of his neck and looked to see the woman flying along side of him, her fists glowing with electrical discharge as she reared back a punch. He dodged in mid air, but it didn't have to hit him. Again lightning arced, impacting with his body, burning his skin and tensing his muscles so that when he did hit it was with no ninja skill.

He did not get up.

Iruka looked up at the hovering woman, hanging like an avenging angel in mid air. He slowly worked his way forward, grunting against the pain, and suddenly found himself in her arms. She eased him back to the tree he had been leaning against and set him down.

"Are you all right, Iruka-sensei?"

He looked at the woman, surprised that she knew his name. But then he saw her deep blue eyes, the faint whisker-like birthmarks on her cheeks, and recognized the voice from Naruto's infamous Sexy no Jutsu.

"Naruto?" The woman nodded and he continued, "Is this another Jutsu of yours?"

She smiled, "Nope, this is magic."

Iruka wondered at this cryptic response, and then turned to look at his downed former friend and co-worker, "Is he…"

Naruto answered, "No. But I really wouldn't want to be him in the morning."

The ninja teacher nodded softly and then looked back at his student. She had taken a crystal pendent out from under her shirt and held it up, her eyes closed. Then in another flash of light she reverted to the visage of Naruto from before, clad in an orange track suit, but still female.

"I think you have a lot of explaining to do, Naruto," Iruka said with a sigh, "but first come here and close your eyes."

Naruto sat by her instructor and did as he asked. She felt something hard, but covered with cloth placed on her forehead.

"You can open your eyes now," Iruka said softly. Naruto did so and saw that something important was missing from her teacher. The headband with the simple metal plate etched with a leaf that was the symbol of any Konoha ninja was missing. She reached up and touched what Iruka had tied to her head. Her fingers traced the leaf pattern and she looked at him in wonder.

"Why? You said that only real ninja could wear this forehead protector."

The chunin laughed and scratched at the scar running across his nose, "So I did. That must mean you've graduated Naruto. Because you rescued a fellow Leaf Ninja and defeated a threat to village security, going above and beyond the call of a cadet, I now name you, Naruto Uzumaki a genin of the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

Naruto let out a whoop of joy and flipped into the air, forgetting for a moment that her wings had disappeared with her transformation and landing on her back. Iruka laughed at her antics, and the young blond soon joined him. After a long time they quieted down and Iruka smiled.

"Now, Naruto, what was that about the Kyubi being dead? And how did you get turned into a girl?"

Suddenly a voice came from the woods, "That is something I would like to know as well."

The Hokage stepped into view, accompanied by two masked ANBU ninja. He lit his old pipe quietly as the ANBU took Mizuki away and turned to Naruto, "So, will you tell us?"

Naruto sat up, and thought for a moment.

"A long time ago there existed five girls with powerful elemental magic. They were called the Guardians of the Vail…"

To be continued…

Endnote: This one actually came out of nowhere while I was gearing back up into writing after all the crap that has been happening lately. Once I shifted back into gear it just flowed out. I hope you like the idea of Naruto taking up Will's mantle, and yes the other Guardians are Konoha kunoichi. Next time the Hokage will decide on Naruto's new role and teams will be assembled. Get ready for the beginning of a new epic. Until then, dream on.


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